House of Fraser, which has agreed to a £480 million takeover by a Nanjing-based conglomerate, said sales rose 3.6% on a like-for-like basis to £1.2 billion in the year to January 25.

Adjusted earnings were up 8% to £60.2m as the group, which trades from 59 locations in the UK and Ireland, benefited from a 41% surge in online sales and a strong Christmas.